Strength in the Storm

By: Gloria Marie

Hurricane Irma is charging towards Florida. I live in Florida, and I am in the path of the storm. As I am writing this, the hurricane has shifted, and it appears that we are not going to get a direct hit. This has been a very stressful week, trying to decide whether to stay or evacuate. My family and I decided to stay. We spent the week shuttering up our homes, buying supplies and getting ready as best as we could. One thing I had to do was find strength in the storm.

I have been through many hurricanes, but, I have never seen the anxiety and stress level this high. There were long lines to get gas and supplies. Currently, most stations are out of gas, and the stores are out of bottled water. Floridians had to make many decisions this week. It was suggested to put your important papers in a Ziploc bag. I look at my bad with the papers and flash drives and think that my life is in one bag.

What would you put in your bag? What would you protect? With a life threating storm, material possessions did not matter to me at all.

Normally, I meditate and pray every morning. This week, I increased that to three times a day. I cannot control the hurricane, all I can control is my thoughts and put my faith in God. One hidden blessing is that today I am stronger than I was earlier in the week. Most Floridians will be stronger; we have no choice, especially the Floridians that

Please pray for everyone affected by this massive hurricane.

Our life flows and ebbs like a river. There is constant movement. Usually, though, we resist the movement. Our distractions and our rigidity to change gets us caught on logs or rocks in the river. We stop the flow instead of going with it. Try to image your life as a river and go with the flow.

A few summers ago, my son and I were on the Snake River. Across the river were a family of otters. It was delightful watching them play, going under water and then popping back up. They followed the flow of the river with trust and abandonment. We could use a lesson from these otters and try to go with the flow of our life like the flow of a river.

The rocks and logs represent our need to control outcomes even though sometimes there is nothing we can do to control them. We can set clear intentions with the Universe, remain focused, stay flexible, and pray.

Gloria Marie

Gloria is a transformation life coach, spiritual teacher, and author. She received her Master in Education from the University of Florida and her life coaching certification from the Universal Coach Institute. Her articles have appeared in Huffington Post and divorcedmoms.com. Gloria brings over 35 years of entrepreneurial experience to her work. She is the proud mother of two grown sons.